Yesterday, for example. It was a beautiful day - mid-70s temps, blue skies with the occasional passing cloud. A perfect summer day, in other words. Want to know what Super Boy and I did?

N-O-T-H-I-N-G.

Yep, that's right - NOTHING!

I felt really agitated about that, but at the same time, I wasn't agitated enough to change it.

For starters, we had a busy weekend with lots of running around, so I think we were both a little bit pooped and in need of a day of rest. So, there was that.

Super Boy also had a headache during the day, and didn't feel like going to the park or on a long walk with the Super Dog, and I know how I feel when I have a headache, so I didn't push the issue.

The thing is, now the forecast for later this week is all RAIN and GLOOM, and I'm pissed at myself for squandering one perfect day yesterday knowing that THAT is what awaits us.

Our Wisconsin summer goes by way too fast, so I'm vowing - VOWING, people - to not let that kind of squandering happen again, unless it's intentional. Yesterday's squandering was more of an apathetic variety, and that's just not cool!

Off to wake the Super Boy, take a shower, eat breakfast and go enjoy the day!!

Monday, July 13, 2009

I've been doing some thinking lately. Longer than lately, but still. I'm thinking about going back to school.

I've thought about it before, but never seriously. This time, however, I'm serious. And I've gotta admit, I'm a little excited at the thought.

Back when I was 27 or 28, I actually applied to law school, thinking that was the route I wanted to take in my career. I did okay on the LSAT, was wait-listed for several weeks at the one law school in my area to which I had applied, and then received a rejection letter when all was said and done.

It was devastating. I felt like a huge failure, even though receiving that news opened the door for the other major pursuit I'd been considering at the time, which was starting my family. Had I gotten accepted to law school, I'd have put off trying for a baby for another few years, and given what I'm going through now trying to have a second baby, God only knows if I'd have gotten pregnant. So, really, I'm glad that all worked out the way it did. Plus, after working closely with attorneys for a handful of years, it struck me that it really wasn't a profession I wanted to pursue. I enjoyed my role working with them, but ultimately decided that I didn't want to be ONE of them.

The whole subject of returning to school was then put on the back shelf for many years. Just a year or so ago, I finally came across that thought again. I dusted it off, examined it cautiously with a hint of interest, but felt that the timing just wasn't right. So back on the shelf it went.

But then, over the past few weeks, I've found that the thought has wriggled off it's shelf in the back of my mind and crept it's way up into my daily thoughts. Who knows, maybe it began its journey when I started becoming aware of feeling incredibly restless and trapped by my own intertia, and felt it had to do something to rescue me from it. Whatever the case, I'm glad it came back to the foreground of my thoughts.

My original Bachelor of Arts degree is in Psychology and Social Welfare. I worked not one moment in either of those fields. I just think that's important to point out.

Instead, my career path was a long and winding one that spanned 12 years prior to my leaving the workforce to stay at home and tend to Super Boy and our household. I don't regret that; not really. I learned SO much along the way, and found that one of my best qualities professionally is that I'm extremely adaptable, in that I'm not afraid to tackle new things and uncharted territory and make something great out of it.

That said, there are times when I kick myself for not being more thoughtful in choosing my major(s) more carefully the first time around. But, at 18, who REALLY knows what they want to do for the rest of their lives? At the time, I felt fairly certain that I wanted to be a pscyhologist and work with families and children. Unfortunately, I didn't realize at the time that I'd have to go on to earn a PhD in order to actually DO that. There was simply no way that I was going to spend another several years in school at that point, both because I was flat broke (and, more accurately, in a decent amount of debt) and I was burned out after being in school from the time I was 5 until I was 22. I wanted to experience life NOT in school.

Well, I've done that now. And I'm ready to go back. Only this time, my interests are a bit more artistic and technical in nature. I won't elaborate other than to say that I feel pretty confident that this time around I would actually be working in my field of study when all is said and done!

Here's hoping that all the planets align properly to make it doable.... Cross your fingers for me, readers.

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

I've got a confession to make. (And for what it's worth, yes, I do realize that this is probably my umpteenth confession, but I don't care.)

I HATE PAPER.

Not the pretty decorative type, like what one would use for scrapbooking or card making. Nor do I hate lovely stationery, or cool little notebooks or notepads. LOVE those.

No, the kind of paper I hate is the kind that accumulates. The random bits and pieces that we (I) feel the need to hold onto for one reason or another, be they bills, old investment statements, insurance documents, receipts, interesting articles, Super Boy's first forays into writing. That sort of stuff.

I realize, of course, that SOME paper must be held onto for tax purposes and other common-sense reasons. But my hoarding of paper has far exceeded the required "must hold onto" rules. And it's simply inexplicable.

Many people have ZERO shredders in their homes; I have two. And their baskets are perpetually full. So it's not that I don't WANT to rid my life of the paper. It's just that the darn stuff multiplies like bunnies when left unattended for a few weeks (or months). It's insane.

That said, please excuse me while I go shred another enormous pile of useless and unneeded paper... And then file another enormous stack that I've let grow out of control.

Saturday: Local 4th of July parade with our neighborhood friends. Men saved the seats early, women & kids joined 30 minutes before the parade started, kids had a blast, we enjoyed the tradition. Then went to some Super Friends' house for a great cookout, conversation and fun for the whole fam. Came home and napped in the afternoon.

Saturday night: Our local fireworks display, seen from our favorite not-so-secret-now location out of the fray with our favorite neighborhood friends. Was truly a spectacular display that did our community proud and a wonderful way to cap off the glorious Independence Day.

About Me

I'm a thirty-something writer, mother-of-two/stepmother-of-one, new divorcee, daughter, stepdaughter, sister, stepsister, friend, and occasional room mom. And I was once diagnosed with "secondary infertility of unknown cause." Some days I've got it all under control... others, well, not so much.
These are my stories.